What’s Emerging? -
New technologies are disrupting the way countries across the globe do business—and construction is no exception. Terms like blockchain, AI (artificial intelligence), ML (machine learning), SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping), LiDAR, and IoT (Internet of Things) aren’t just for the technology savvy. These emerging technologies will change the way the construction industry works—and in many cases it is coming faster than you think.

How the IoT Drives Productivity in Construction -
IoT (Internet of Things) is connective technology that links physical things, such as a power tool, a compressor, or a safety harness, with digital information and processes.

Shortage: Three Innovations to Mitigate the Impact -
A challenge that all ready mix producers are facing is a shortage of qualified truck drivers. The U.S. National Ready Mixed Concrete Assn.’s, www.nrmca.org, Silver Spring, Md., 2017 Mixer Driver Recruitment and Retention Survey reported that respondents overwhelmingly noted their biggest hiring challenge was finding drivers with ready mix concrete experience. Ready mix producers are having to turn down business, and the shortage is forecasted to continue for another decade.

Mobile Tech Advances Digital for Heavy Civil Construction -
Heavy civil projects are getting larger and more complex resulting in 50% of projects failing to meet budget and schedule. These projects also have unique challenges related to their spatial and linear nature.

Mediated Communications in Construction Projects -
No matter how much technology we add to help augment the management and control of our projects, they are still run by people. People who work for different companies, people who have competing interests and agendas, people who are working to bring a project to completion, with the constraint of schedule and budget.

When the Dead Come Back to Life -
When I was a kid, the legend of Chrysler’s “Hemi” engine was intriguing to me. The Hemis of 1950s grew into the racing legends of the next two decades, and seemed to fade into obscurity for a while, seemingly eclipsed by newer technology, only to re-emerge in the early 2000s and still in widespread use today. The newer generation of Hemis had the same basic elements but had several technology improvements that repositioned these venerable power plants for the modern day. When they disappeared from Chrysler’s marketing after the 70s, many loyal fans were disappointed, and the marketplace chatter had the Hemi down for the count.

A Strategy for Jobsite Safety - Technology can help keep workers safer on the job
Technology aimed at keeping workers safe seeps through nearly every aspect of today’s construction sites, from fatigue-tracking vehicles to downloadable work orders, to lighter, stronger, and more fashionable workwear.

What’s the Vision for Success? -
One of the common threads between the 2018 Constructech Vision Awards winners is that each faced a challenge that was met with a technology solution and a quantifiable ROI (return on investment). As Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Eyeing Prefab for Construction -
Aconfluence of unprecedented global trends are upending long-held building practices, boosting prefabricated construction’s growth and value. Indeed, the global prefabricated construction market is forecast to expand at a rate of between 6-7% until 2020, according to technology research firm Technavio, www.technavio.com, London, England. Further, the market value is expected to reach $110 million by 2020, a 39% jump from the data from 2015.